MuppetWatch

petervulfranc

MUPPETWATCH is a journey through entertainment and popular culture using The Muppet Show as our guide. Every week, Peter and Ben watch an episode of The Muppet Show, coupled with a work by the guest star that is new to one or both of us, allowing us to better contextualize and appreciate their work. https://feed.podbean.com/muppetwatch/feed.xml

  1. 24/04/2025

    115: Candice Bergen & Carnal Knowledge

    Miss Piggy continues to take more of a central role as special guest Candice Bergen inspires her to fight for her rights as a woman and a performer. Then, we discuss her role in Carnal Knowledge, a dissection of the psyche of the male chauvinist pig. Topics of discussion include whether it’s weird to be able to tell who’s puppeteering Miss Piggy by voice, possibly the weirdest movie to get a sequel of all time and how it could have been salvaged, the time Pauline Kael feuded with the gay community, the secret unaired snuff episode of The Muppet Show, and the unfortunate fact that conservatives has always been kind of stupid. Bergen Bags Knock Wood by Candice Bergen Murphy Brown vs. Vice President Dan Quayle Oliver’s Story (1978) movie review - Sneak Previews with Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel Quayle Blames Riots in L.A. on Disintegrating Family Unit The queerness hiding in plain sight in the work of Hollywood Golden Age director George Cukor

    1h 19m

  2. 10/04/2025

    114: Sandy Duncan & Star Spangled Girl

    Today’s episode is very special - not just because our guest is three-time Tony nominee Sandy Duncan, and we have additional jokes by comedy legend Gags Beasley, but also because we’re joined by friend of the pod and fellow Beasley superfan Joe Blevins to discuss Duncan and the immortal banana sketch, followed by her second starring role on film in the baffling but never boring Star-Spangled Girl. Topics of discussion include gelatin molds on television walls, when a pie in the face can be painful, square views of the counterculture, just why Gags Beasley never made the jump to the silver screen himself, and how to tell if a movie was based on a stage play. Check out Joe’s work at d2rights.blogspot.com and thesedaysareours.libsyn.com! Further Resources: After a Brain Tumor and Two Failed Marriages, Sandy Duncan Is Flying High Again Clay Aiken Says He Lost '50 Percent' of His Fans When He Came Out in 2008: 'It Was Very Different Time' In ‘Second Glance,’ It’s Sandy Duncan Monty Python - The Funniest Joke in the World “Peter Pan” star Sandy Duncan still has a lot to “crow” about by Mo Rocca

    2h 23m

  3. 25/03/2025

    2025 Oscars Best Original Song Special

    After a month-long hiatus, MuppetWatch is back, sort of, with a special all about the movies and songs nominated at the 2025 Academy Awards, days after people stopped caring! We apologize for reminding you of Emilia Perez's existence, are befuddled by The Six Triple Eight, reminisce about the career of a future Muppet Show guest with Elton John: Never Too Late, and cry about Sing Sing.

    2h 2m

  4. 04/03/2025

    113: Bruce Forsyth & Can Heironymus Merkin Ever Forget Mercy Humppe and Find True Happiness?

    Fozzie Bear vows to finally fight back against Statler and Waldorf, be it by heckling them back or by rubber chicken-based physical violence. Luckily for him, he has an ally in special guest Bruce Forsyth, jack of all trades equally at home on the stage and the television screen. Then we watch Can Heironymus Merkin Ever Forget Mercy Humppe and Find True Happiness?, a movie that is as uncomfortable as its title is unwieldy. Topics of discussion include: Snurf evolution, Cordening, our continuing exasperation with At the Dance, Muppet trafficking, double standards of Muppet nudity, the degree to which talk segments are scripted, how self-awareness is not inherently a virtue, and Jojo Siwa. Further resources: BBC Blogs - BBC Genome: Coming to You Live - The Origins of Outside Broadcast Television Bruce Forsyth Obituary Bruce Forsyth on Magnum P.I. Didn’t he do well… Sir Bruce Forsyth breaks TV career world record

    1h 4m

  5. 17/02/2025

    112: Peter Ustinov & Grendel Grendel Grendel

    Today’s special guest is renaissance man of the world Peter Ustinov, whose very presence puts the show in a tizzy and forces Kermit to confront his self-esteem issues! Then, we discuss another work about a green guy with problems - Grendel Grendel Grendel, the 1981 animated Australian adaptation of John Gardner’s existentialist novel! Topics of discussion include how scripted Muppet Labs is, the Newsflash Anchor’s skills as an actor, what you could get away with in movies for children in the 1980s, how to adapt existentialist angst in ways that are emotionally comprehensible to children, and new one-episode Muppets. Further resources: British actor Peter Ustinov, who had an appointment with Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi… A genius who spent life dabbling Logan’s Run: The Naming of Cats - Peter Ustinov - Closed Captioned OMNI: the New Frontier Prokofiev: Peter and the Wolf. Peter Ustinov, Herbert von Karajan, London Philharmonia Orchestra Sir Peter Ustinov (1921-2004) Sir Peter Ustinov - UNICEF

    57 min

  6. 29/01/2025

    111: Lena Horne & Cabin in the Sky

    We’re back from our hiatus! Joined by singer and actress Lena Horne, Miss Piggy and Kermit continue their push-and-pull, and Gonzo struggles to be understood. Then we discuss the 1943 film Cabin in the Sky, a movie that is… firmly of its time. Topics of discussion include acting through singing, the types of tabloids Fozzie reads, Muppets-Looney Tunes thematic overlap, yet more Bowfingering, whether or not the Swedish Chef washes his hands, and the Cotton Club. KTLA-5 March 22, 1970 Harry & Lena Special Lena Horne - Ain’t It the Truth - Cabin in the Sky 1943 Lena Horne - Stormy Weather (1943) Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music Tony Awards Performance Stormy Weather: The Life of Lena Horne by James Gavin The Wiz - “If You Believe”

    1h 12m

  7. 18/10/2024

    110: Harvey Korman & Huckleberry Finn

    Today we’ve got a guest who doesn’t sing at all on The Muppet Show but sings quite a bit in his movie. The star is four time Emmy winner Harvey Korman, and the movie is 1974’s Huckleberry Finn, from the unlikely team of the Sherman Brothers and a two-time Planet of the Apes director! Topics of discussion include Fozzie Bear’s finest hour, the still confounding talking houses, the equally confounding Muppet Show production order, sex versus violence on the nineteenth century stage, different pronunciations of Maurice, and con artists pretending to be Romanovs or Bourbons. Further resources ABC Network - The Harvey Korman Show (Complete Broadcast, 4/11/1978) The Dentist from The Carol Burnett Show The Family: Sorry! from The Carol Burnett Show Gazoo’s Antimatter Arrival in Bedrock Harvey Korman and Brenda Vaccaro Win Outstanding Supporting Actor and Actress Harvey Korman - Television Academy Interviews It’s Hedley! - Mel Brooks - American Masters “Now go do that voodoo that you do so well” The Nutt House (1989) Ep. 1 “Pilot”

    1h 16m

  8. 10/10/2024

    109: Charles Aznavour & Shoot the Piano Player

    Today on MuppetWatch, we do Sam the Eagle proud and get cultured, because our special guest is French national treasure and entertainer of the century Charles Aznavour, and our film is French New Wave legend Francois Truffaut’s second ever film, Shoot the Piano Player. Topics of discussion include whether or not Hilda is accessory to attempted murder, how drag is approached in a maybe-not-great way, the redemption of Scooter, Jack Klugman’s vocal prowess, and parallels to Hitchcock and Hamlet. Further resources: Charles Aznavour dies, age 94 by Tony Cross Charles Aznavour: ‘I wanted to break every taboo’ by Angelique Chrisafis Charles Aznavour - Les plaisirs demodes (Audio Officiel) The Odd Couple - Tony Randall & Jack Klugman - The Inch Worm Quantum Leap - “The Inch Worm” Why Charles Aznavour’s Global Fame Never Reached American Shores by Franz Nicolay

    1h 11m
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About

MUPPETWATCH is a journey through entertainment and popular culture using The Muppet Show as our guide. Every week, Peter and Ben watch an episode of The Muppet Show, coupled with a work by the guest star that is new to one or both of us, allowing us to better contextualize and appreciate their work. https://feed.podbean.com/muppetwatch/feed.xml

Information

  • Creator
    petervulfranc
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2025
  • Episodes
    17
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2024 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    MuppetWatch